45 easy Veganuary recipes for 2026 (Beginner-friendly vegan meals)

Every recipe takes 30 minutes or less, uses simple grocery store staples, and works for real life. You’ll find quick breakfasts, packable lunches, cozy dinners, and easy desserts all organized by meal type.

Want even more help getting started with a vegan lifestyle? Check out my book, Living Vegan For Dummies!

In this post:

Breakfast sandwiches, roasted potatoes, and cozy chickpea scrambles are easy vegan meals for beginners. They’re also a great reason to look forward to getting up.

A chickpea scramble offers a hearty start to the day. It’s protein dense, inexpensive, and quick to prepare. Serve with toast or hashbrowns.

Tofu scramble is packed with peppers, onions, garlic, and kale. Finish this savory breakfast with avocado, toast, and a splash of hot sauce.

Oven roasted breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers are cozy enough for weekends but hands-off enough for Mondays.

They’re a cinch to make in the oven or air fryer.

Eggy tofu is a 5-minute breakfast that is reminiscent of fried eggs. I make this almost every day! It’s perfect for week 1 of Veganuary.

Vegan grits are so cozy & warming.

Enjoy them on their own with a dollop of vegan butter. Or use them as the base of a grits breakfast bowl with plant-based sausage and Brussels sprouts.

You’ve got to love the ease & portability of a toasted breakfast sandwich.

Filled with eggy tofu, seitan bacon, and non-dairy cheese, it’s the perfect meal for on-the-go.

Peanut butter banana oatmeal is a great cold weather breakfast. It warms you up from the inside out.

Plus, the flavors of banana & peanut butter were made for each other.

This breakfast quesadilla has the flavors of a Denver omelet. But it’s totally plant-based!

Finish with a dollop of salsa & guacamole.

For an easy and satisfying breakfast, you can’t beat avocado toast. This beginner-friendly vegan recipe is ready to eat in 5 minutes.

It's topped with pickled red onions for crunch and tang, salt, and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes for cheesiness.

Peanut butter and banana quesadillas are a cinch to make, and a terrific breakfast-on-the-go.

With melty peanut butter and gooey banana, they’re a hit with adults and kids alike!

Get in those fruits & veggies this Veganuary by way of deliciously drinkable smoothies.

Smoothies make nice light breakfasts, snacks, or post workout refreshments.

This cherry smoothie is positively packed with cherry flavor. Add a leaf of kale or collards for an extra boost of nutrients.

This blueberry banana smoothie is made with just five ingredients: blueberries, bananas, spinach, chia seeds, and cashew milk. So refreshing!

This peanut butter banana smoothie is gloriously creamy, salty, nutty, and sweet. So delicious, it could almost be dessert!

A taco salad is so delicious, you can eat the dishes!

The baked tortilla bowl is filled with spicy black beans, guacamole, and salad greens. If you like, toss the salad greens in tangy onion & garlic salad dressing.

Curried tofu salad is one of my favorite vegan lunch ideas. It’s a quick, no-cook meal that’s packed with 13 grams of protein.

It’s filled with shredded carrot, celery, raisins, pistachios, and onion in a seasoned mayo dressing. Enjoy it on its own, in a sandwich, or wrap.

Israeli couscous salad is loaded with flavor from artichokes, olives, basil, and garlic.

It works as a side dish with baked tofu or roasted chickpeas. But it can also stand alone as a hot or cold lunch.

You’ll feel like you’re in an old school diner with this vegan chef salad.

There are rows of seitan chicken, tomato, cucumber, vegan cheddar, and avocado. Finish it off with a generous drizzling of vegan ranch dressing.

Vegan pasta salad can be a mouthwatering side dish or convenient packed lunch. It’s made with noodles and veggies in a creamy vegan mayo sauce.

I like to say that soup is winter’s salad. You can squeeze in a lot of veggies, beans, and grains into one bowl.

So for Veganuary 2026, whip up some of these satisfying soups and reap the produce-packed benefits.

Even when your pantry is bare, you probably have all the ingredients you need for this flavorful curry red lentil soup. Ready in 25 to 30 minutes!

Three bean chili with pinto, black, and Great Northern beans is the perfect warm-you-up dinner.

It's a one pot meal that's ready in less than half an hour. It’s also yummy on a chili dog.

You’ll feel like you’re enveloped in a hug with this vegan chicken noodle soup.

This nourishing and comforting dish is packed with celery, carrots, onions, vegan chicken, and eggless noodles.

Vegan tortilla soup is filled with black beans, seitan, and corn in a flavorful broth. Finish with crunchy tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime.

When you want something fast & quick, look no further than these easy sandwiches & wraps.

These tasty Veganuary recipe ideas will keep you full all month long!

Swap out tuna for chickpeas in this mouthwatering vegan chickpea tuna salad sandwich.

You won’t believe how much better it is than its non-vegan counterpart. Plus, it takes only minutes to make. (Try this one on week one of Veganuary!)

This easy bagel sandwich is ready in no time.

Just toast a bagel. Then top it with a slathering of homemade hummus and fresh, crunchy sliced vegetables. So simple but so good!

This pizza bagel recipe is so simple, you could get the kids involved with it. Everyone can add their own toppings to these personal pizzas.

Lunch is ready to go in 10 minutes using the air fryer or oven!

BBQ jackfruit sandwiches have wonderful bite, plus sweet and savory flavor. It’s a fun & easy way to use a canned jackfruit.

(By the way, barbecue jackfruit is also amazing on vegan pulled pork nachos!)

This handy veggie wrap is one of my favorite easy vegan lunches.

It’s filled with vegan chick’n strips and veggies. Then it’s finished with a drizzling of lemon tahini dressing.

Tacos and burritos are always crowd-pleasers. Plus, these Veganuary recipes are full of filling possibilities.

Black bean tacos are one of my go-to weeknight dinners. By using canned black beans, they come together lightning fast.

Craving a dish with crunch? Make vegan tostadas!

Crunchy corn tortillas are topped with refried beans, avocado, and salsa. They can be made in the air fryer, oven, or pan fried.

(Repurpose any refried bean leftovers in a 3-ingredient vegan quesadilla!)

Vegan lentil taco meat has a wonderful bite & flavor. Add it to tacos or burritos for a protein-packed filling.

Plus, when you use cooked lentils as the base, it comes together in no time flat.

Chickpea tacos are loaded with delicious spices & flavor. Plus, garbanzo beans have fabulous bite. Finish with your choice of toppings.

Hello, comfort food! Vegan burritos with beans, chorizo, and tater tots are wonderfully decadent.

It’s a Veganuary meal the whole family is sure to love!

Dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes with these meatless chicken-style tacos.

Using store-bought vegan chicken makes them very convenient to prepare. Then they’re finished with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and dairy-free cheese.

Perfect for a weeknight taco dinner!

This flavor-packed falafel bowl includes:

• Homemade falafel
• Hummus
• Salad
• Brown rice
• Tahini dressing

There are so many flavors & textures in one bowl!

Pesto rice is the perfect weeknight meal. This easy Veganuary recipe uses just 10 ingredients and takes about 8 minutes to make.

Eat it on its own, as a side dish, or as a base for delicious pesto rice bowls with your favorite toppings!

This burrito bowl is packed with flavor. With lentils, black beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo, there's a tantalizing mix of tastes - bite after bite.

These easy pickle roll-ups are made with just 3 ingredients – vegan ham, non-dairy cream cheese, and crunchy dill pickle.

Not just for snacking, they’re also a fun party appetizer.

Tortilla pinwheels are a simple finger food with buffalo hummus & fresh veggies. They have plenty of flavor & crunch.

They’re also terrific for lunchboxes and parties!

Want a tasty, protein-packed alternative to popcorn? Make a batch of roasted chickpeas in the oven or air fryer.

They’re delicious by the handful. They also make a terrific addition to kale salads and pesto pasta.

These tasty crescent dogs are easy to make, a child could do it!

Pillowy pop crescent rolls surround meatless hot dogs. Cook them in the air fryer or bake in the oven.

Serve them with vegan honey mustard or barbecue sauce for dipping.

You’ll feel like a kid again with sweet & gooey vegan rice crispy treats.

They’re made with just 3 ingredients. And you can use the microwave for a minimum of work & clean-up.

Vegan pear crisp is topped with oats and pistachios for a warming and cozy dessert. For maximum deliciousness, pair it with non-dairy vanilla ice cream.

Can’t stand to wait for banana bread to bake? Make banana bread cookies instead. They cook in a fraction of the time.

They’re so pillowy, light, and sweet.

Chocolate banana nice cream is wonderfully creamy & smooth. Who would guess it’s made with a base of frozen bananas?

Dessert doesn’t get easier than chocolate covered orange slices.

Chocolate is melted in the microwave. Then orange slices are dipped into it, and refrigerated until the chocolate hardens.

Content updated December 30, 2025. Originally posted January 10, 2017.